Thank You Part 4
by DejaBlue1972
Summary: A posthumous thank you to Captain Danny Ross from his friends and colleagues. Rated T for a mild swear word. Read, review and enjoy.


**Author's note: Just a one-shot that formed in my brain as I was commuting back and forth to work. This scene takes place after the events in the two part episode "Loyalty." Many thanks to everyone who reads and/or reviews my stuff. I greatly appreciate it. Here's the disclaimer: LO:CI and its characters belong to Dick Wolf and company; I'm just borrowing them for a little while. Any and all mistakes made are my own. Read, review and enjoy. :o)**

**Saturday, November 7  
The Hot Spot  
7:10 p.m.**

"Hey, Falacci!" Mike Logan shouted over the noisy crowd from the end of the bar at The Hot Spot, a popular bar/diner whose clientele were mostly police officers, lawyers and firefighters. Nola Falacci, Logan's former temporary partner, turned her head towards the sound of his voice. He waved at her. A half smirk, half smile crossed her lips as she headed towards him. "What a very nice and quiet place you picked, Logan," she said sarcastically. "Quit being a smartass, Falacci," Mike replied, pointing to a room in the rear. "We're gathering back there."

Mike put his hand in the middle of Nola's back, steering her towards the room. "How's Quantico?" he asked. She shrugged, replying, "So far, so good. It's way different from the police academy." "I bet it is." They walked inside of the well lit room. In one corner of the room, there was a color 11 x 14 headshot portrait of the late Captain Danny Ross with a black bow tied around the upper right hand corner. On the opposite side of the room, Dr. Elizabeth Rodgers was talking with former Major Case Squad Captain James Deakins and former Detectives Alex Eames and Robert Goren. They were all seated at a round table, sipping on their drinks.

"Where's Wheeler?" Mike asked when he walked up to the group. "I thought she was coming." "She just called. She'll be here in a few minutes," Alex replied. Falacci had wandered over to Captain Ross' picture. Her eyes watered a little as she stood there staring blankly at the face looking back at her. Deakins excused himself from the group and walked over to stand beside her. "Ross was a good man, wasn't he?" Deakins stated. Falacci sniffed a little as she wiped away a tear. "Yeah, he was. I'm sorry I missed the funeral," she said without looking at him.

After a couple of minutes of silence, Falacci shook herself, turning her attention to the man standing next to her. "I'm sorry. Who are you?" she asked. Deakins smiled as he extended his hand. "Jimmy Deakins. I was the captain of Major Case before Ross took over." She shook his hand. "Nice to meet you. I'm Nola Falacci. I was Logan's temporary partner for a few months while Wheeler was overseas teaching classes." "Good to meet you, Falacci." He pointed to the wall hooks next to the door. "You can hang your coat over there. The waiter will be back in a minute to take your drink order." She flashed him a brief smile. "Thanks," she said before walking away to hang up her coat.

"You're welcome," Deakins said to Falacci's back. He walked back over to the table and sat down between Dr. Rodgers and Bobby. Falacci came to the table, sitting between Mike and Dr. Rodgers. "Hey, Alex. Hey, Bobby," she said. "Hey, Nola," Bobby said. "Hey, Nola. Glad you could make it," Alex said. Falacci looked at Dr. Rodgers. "Hey, Doc." "Hey." "Who else are we waiting for?" Deakins asked. "Megan Wheeler, Zach Nichols and Serena Stevens," Alex replied.

As if on cue, all three persons Alex had named walked through the door one after the other. "Sorry, I'm late," Megan said. She hung up her coat before walking over to the table. "The babysitter was running a little late," she finished saying, reaching to give Alex a hug. "That's okay. We haven't been here too long," Alex said as she returned the hug. Megan hugged Bobby, then Dr. Rodgers before introducing herself to Deakins, who shook her hand warmly. She then turned to Logan and smiled. "Hey, kiddo," he said, arms opened wide. "Hey yourself, stranger," Megan replied. She wrapped her arms around his waist, giving her former partner a big bear hug,

Mike returned the gesture. "How's the kid?" he asked when he and Megan let go of each other. "Margo's fine," Wheeler replied. "She's just waiting for her godfather to come and take her to the park before it gets too cold." He groaned loudly. "I'll come by soon. You know, me and kids don't exactly go together." She chuckled. "You'll do just fine." Mike pointed at Falacci and said, "Megan, this is Nola Falacci. She took your place while you were gone." "Thanks for keeping him in line for me," Megan said. "No big deal. He was a push over," Falacci said with a smirk. Mike rolled his eyes as he groaned.

"I hope we haven't missed too much," Zach Nichols said. He and Serena Stevens had hung up their coats as well before joining the group. "No, you haven't missed anything," Bobby said. He then proceeded to introduce Deakins and Falacci to the newest MCS detectives. Zach gave Megan a small nudge with his elbow and a smile. She did the same thing to him. When the waiter returned to the room, Alex stepped away from the group and pulled him to the side. He leaned down as she whispered something in his ear. He nodded, then turned around and exited the room.

"Let's gather around Captain Ross' picture, you guys," Alex said as she headed towards the picture. Everyone followed her lead. She looked at each person individually and smiled. She said, "I want to thank all of you for coming. I think it would help us heal a little bit better if we could get together and um, give Captain Ross a proper send off. To thank him for doing something special in each of our lives." Everyone nodded their heads silently in agreement.

The waiter walked back into the room, carrying a tray with 9 glasses filled with the finest vodka. He handed a glass to each occupant without saying a word, then left. "So, who wants to go first?" Alex asked. They all looked at each other expectantly. Finally, Serena Stevens cleared her throat and said, "I'll go first." She raised her glass to Ross' picture. "I want to thank you for hiring me. I'll try to make you proud."

Dr. Rodgers raised her glass next, a small smile on her face. "Thank you, Danny, for taking me to the opera."

"Thank you for helping me work on my people skills," Nola Falacci said. Logan grunted lightly. "Lord knows you need it," he mumbled under his breath. His remark made everyone chuckle except for Falacci, who poked him in the ribs with her elbow. "Ouch!" he said sharply

"Mike, why don't you go next?" Alex said, trying to diplomatically squash the fight between Logan and Falacci. He rubbed his ribs as he gave his former partner a mean look. His face instantly soften when he looked at the late captain's picture. "Thank you for sharing a good drink and good conversation."

Next up was Bobby, who massaged the back of his neck and shuffled his feet slightly before saying, "Captain, I want to thank you for taking some of the heat from the Chief of D's with me when I went looking for my nephew."

"Thank you for being my rabbi and mentor," Megan said. "And for offering to change diapers," she added.

Alex inhaled deeply, then exhaled. "Thank you for understanding my need to get back to work after my ordeal with Jo Gage."

Deakins raised his glass. "Even though I only spoke with you briefly before you took over Major Case, I want to say thank you for standing behind my best detectives and doing right by them." He looked at Alex, Bobby and Mike, a big smile on his face. "I knew you'd make him proud," he said to them.

"I guess I'll bring up the rear," Nichols said. He paused briefly, trying to think of what to say. A sly, mysterious smile covered his face. He said, "Thank you for being my partner. And willing to stay my partner despite the numerous threats of suspension hanging over our heads each day we worked together."

The small group of friends and colleagues of the late Captain Danny Ross looked at each other. They all raised their glasses in the air and said in unison, "Thank you, Danny Ross. We'll never forget you."


End file.
